The times are growing harder, for all of the worlds. In Lyra's world, the Armoured Bears and Witches grow anxious within the frozen wastelands of the north, where further south, dæmons grow fearful. Even in Will's World, people are beginning to feel anxious, though they are not sure why. A war is coming. A war that threatens to engulf all of the worlds. It is the war of the Authority and the Republic of Heaven, created by Lord Asriel himself to overthrow the monarchy of the Almighty. And thrown in the middle of this, are two children, destined to hold the greatest weapons known to all the worlds. So what will you do? Will you fight to defend the Authority, or join Lord Asriel to help bring about its destruction. Armies are mustering, and the time is drawing nearer. Every person makes a difference. What will your's be?

Lord Asriel has opened a bridge to the city seen in the aurora borealis, and he has taken it upon himself to travel to the city in the clouds. Accompanying him is Marisa Coulter, and together, they have travelled to the other worlds, leaving Lyra's World, perhaps for good. A furious Magisterium has excommunicated the both of them, and stripped Lord Asriel of his title, and his possessions in Lyra's World. The bridge itself is sealed, as the Magisterium is now struggling to prevent others from accessing it.

But Lord Asriel's act has triggered other anamolies in Lyra's World, as strange windows have opened everywhere. They are nearly invisible to the naked eye, but sightings of them have been reported, and they are growing in number.

Meanwhile, the Magisterium has to contend with a serious breach of security where a large group of Republican commandos have infiltrated the grounds of the College of St Jerome's. Stringent reviews are now being undertaken of the Magisterium's security measures.

And at Oxford, Ryan Whitman is testing something which could change the world as we speak...

All character profiles, new worlds, and other related pieces of work (RP and fanfictions included) belong to the respective authors/makers and may not be reproduced in anyway without permission from them. However, the world of His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass, and the general setting of the RP belongs to Philip Pullman. Site disclaimer here. No copyright infringement intended.

Marisa Coulter

It had taken a year and a half to get the full hang of it, but these laptops and phones were useful once figured out. Marisa had become an expert at searching the internet. Ayano helped this process somewhat, as her powers of heightened awareness gave her a better sense of how this all worked. Thus Marisa made it a task for herself every day to look for intel that could be useful to them. During today's research, she was following up on a lead that she had spent weeks looking into. She didn't want to bring it to Asriel until she had confirmation, but now she did. It was him.

A picture surfaced of a man sitting in his backyard with a cheetah in Sydney, Australia. It was spread as a joke, maybe an eccentric billionaire who had a pet cheetah, but Marisa thought it was more than that. If her hunch was right, which she realized it now was, this was a man with a daemon. Not only that, her research got her better photos of the man taken by various nosy people, ones that clearly showed his face. Marisa recognized him. King Ogunwe of Africa. She had met him once many years ago when she was married to Edward Coulter. Ogunwe had told her that she was very charming and intelligent. She wondered what he would be doing in this world of all places, but it was definitely him. So she decided to bring this information to Asriel, with the printed photos and an address.

For now, the three of them were staying in a temporary loft in the English countryside. It was quiet, discreet and the landscape was completely empty. They had a car that Marisa or Ayano would use to drive into the city, but mostly the car was used for missions.

Marisa walked into Asriel's room, knocking on the door gently as she did. "Asriel, you need to see this." she told him. Ozymandias leaped onto her shoulder, golden tail wrapping around her neck.

Three days had passed since the time of their arrival, Marisa growing impatient, despite her comfort. The first night was difficult, as she had to share a room with two men. She got the bed, of course, but she still had to leave the room to undress and change. Luckily, Marisa had her charm, always prepared to use it when she needed to.

King Ioreth was like all bears, unable to be fooled by trickery. Despite this known fact, it didn't mean that bears couldn't be won over through favor. The next morning, instead of joining Asriel and Frederick to view the machinery such as fire-hurlers, Marisa requested an audience with the king. She spoke with him, discussed topics such as the differences and similarities between politics of bears and politics of humans. They also discussed other casual topics here and there, like thoughts on Svalbard.

It was easy for Marisa to win over the king's heart. He saw her as kind, friendly, intelligent and interesting. It wasn't necessarily a challenge like it was with Asriel.

Eventually, the topic of discussion came to the question of why Marisa would opt to skip viewing advanced machinery so that she could speak with King Ioreth. Her answer held some honesty, but convincingly hiding anything she wanted to conceal.

"Because I find you much more fascinating. Would I rather see how a fire hurler is designed and constructed, or would I rather have a stimulating conversation with a King who is the mind, structure and strength behind it all? The answer is obvious."

And with a demure and ever so beautiful smile, King Ioreth began to feel a certain fondness for her. Marisa wished it could be this easy with Asriel for once.

After throwing a subtle hint or two, King Ioreth offered Marisa a private room of her own. She let him know of her gratitude and the two of them continued to carry out their conversation. They spoke with each other for most of the day, until they both got caught up with other things.

On the third day, Marisa had spent even more time with King Ioreth; earning his trust and his favor was important. Let the men see the armory and she could focus on working.

The third night, after speaking with the King, Marisa sent a message to Asriel. As she lied down on her soft warm bed in her private room that she had all to herself, Asriel would be getting this message.

In his room, there was an envelope with his name written on it, placed on a table by the bed where it was sure to be seen. Hopefully by Asriel, but Frederick knew better than to open Asriel's mail.

Inside was a letter. Just in case Frederick did decide to read it, it didn't say much. "Asriel, meet me in my room; there is something I wish to discuss with you."

This new world was easy to describe. Dark, cold, desolate, empty and grey. The only light was the light of the moon and stars. The change from world to world was so severe. Where as the previous world was so bright, with colors and sunlight and sand and trees, Marisa saw nothing here but dark skies and dirt.

Marisa fully wrapped the fur coat around her, along with taking her gloves out of the pockets and putting them on. It was freezing. Almost as cold as it was in the North, but not quite. This world was so dead, as if all life was gone.

Yet, in the far off distance, she saw a large castle-like fortress and a tiny village. It was so far though. The distance seemed like at least, a one or two days walk. But, it meant that there was life in this world. Hopefully people.

As if to answer her question, Marisa suddenly saw a figure, standing a few feet away. At first, she couldn't make it out. The figure was shrouded in darkness, before emerging.

A look of shock crossed her face. How was it possible?

Fair hair. Dirt smudged skin. Worn clothing. A little girl, with a familiar face. The face of their daughter.

Lyra.

"Asriel, is that...Lyra?"she asked, pointing towards the figure, not knowing what to believe. She didn't know if she should be happy or scared. How could Lyra have made it here?

So, I've been planning and working on and gathering stuff for this Halloween costume for an entire year. No, I'm not joking. I spent the entire year on this costume. Why, you may ask? Because this is the costume I have been wanting to do for years. Because this is the costume where I become Marisa Coulter. I think I did it.

Those are a few pictures of the costume, hope you guys like it. So much hard work, effort, time, and money went into this costume, basically because I wanted to find my inner Marisa Coulter and bring her out into the world. I'm Marisa Coulter here on The Aurora, so it's only necessary for me to be her for Halloween. Happy Halloween everyone, from an extreme cosplayer for the holiday!

Her heart was pounding within her chest. Her eyes gazed upon what lied ahead of her. Her hand softly squeezed the hand of her lover. Marisa couldn't believe it. Everything she had dreamed about, everything that had been called a lie, it was finally here.

The moment of truth was upon her. The moment where she crossed the barrier, walked into the new world and placed a foot in the sand. The white sand of a beach, with dazzling clear blue water and a jungle of palm trees. Past it was a city in the distance, with tall buildings and houses. Marisa tried to muster up a word to describe it and she found none that would serve it justice. This wondrous world, filled with grandeur and spectacular views, the deliciously gentle wind that touched her face, the brilliant beams of sunlight. Here to see, hear, touch, smell and taste. Her senses were awakened and invigorated in ways she never could have imagined.

As Ozymandias curiously filled his hand with the warm sand, Marisa wandered towards the shore. It was so beautiful. The ocean water looked so clean and pure, it almost seemed suitable for drinking. She was amazed. Was this worth losing everything? Was it worth being excommunicated from her world for life? At this breathtaking moment, the answer was yes. Just as it was when she first told it to Asriel.

A giant smile crossed her face. Her eyes were wide and she beamed with happiness as she turned to look at Asriel.

"I don't know what to say."she said, a soft laughter escaping her lips. She felt such bliss and joy that she could hardly contain it, yet at the same time, she was practically speechless. "It's all so... so.. No words can describe it. This place... "she sighed softly and looked at the sky. "I've never felt this way before."

Her emotion was so raw and true, not being covered up or twisted whatsoever. She fully embraced it, letting herself be, allowing herself to feel. Ozymandias didn't fight it either. He didn't tell her to stay composed and block out emotion completely. He ran his hands through the sand, ran up to the water to cup some in his hands, with a childlike curiosity that he never truly had. For once, the daemon wasn't caring about what appearance they might make. Like his human, he was enjoying the moment, soaking up everything around him.

There was such a delighted sparkle in their eyes. Both human and daemon felt connected, much more deeply than they ever had before. Ozymandias had finally discovered that Marisa had been right all along and it made him realize something. He shouldn't have judged her so harshly. Instead, he should have tried to connect with her all these years, not try and mold her into what he wanted her to be. He turned his head to glance at Stelmaria, feeling the regret of ever leaving her side. However, now was not the time for regret of their past choices. That was coming to an end. It was the time of joy and discovery. A new beginning.

WHY did he call you soft? Because you were stumbling over a ditch dude! YOU WALKED INTO THE AURORA FOR GOD'S SAKES! And now you tell everyone you're afraid of mud! And holy crap the clothes store.
Oct 14 2012, 03:46 AM

I know how the Magisterium works, and the protection around her is secure. If you were so concerned, you would have done the same. But of course, you have neglected her. As usual.
Oct 13 2012, 02:19 AM